FOREFATHERS MONUMENT PLYMOUTH, MA.

As I was leaving Plymouth after my visit to the Harlow Old Fort House, I
noticed a sign on a street corner that said "Forefathers' Monument". I'd
never heard of it so I decided to take a look. Besides, the street was
named Allerton St. How could I not drive up a street named after an
ancestor?

The National Monument to the Forefathers is situated at the top of a
hill and stands eighty-one feet tall. It was completed in 1888. When I
visited it mid-Thursday afternoon, I was the only one there. It's a shame
it doesn't draw more people because it's a beautiful piece of work.

VISITING THE HARLOW OLD FORT HOUSE

A week ago I learned that the house built by my 8x great grandfather William
Harlow in Plymouth, Ma. still exists and was open for tours on Thursday afternoon.
Now I live about twenty miles from Plymouth and except for visiting Plimoth
Plantation about forty-five years ago I haven't visited the historical sites down
there. Considering how much of our family history took place in Plymouth and
the adjoining towns I decided it was time I fixed that. So yesterday I drove Ping
the Wonder Car down to visit the Harlow Old Fort House.

It was a nice day and I took one of the backroads, Rte 36, most of the way. I'm
glad I went now because in a week or so when people start visiting Plymouth
on vacation the traffic will be heavier. The Harlow House is located at 119 Sandwich
House just past Plymouth Center and right across from the Plymouth Fire Dept.
headquarters. I arrived twenty minutes before the start of the tour so I looked
around a bit and took a picture of one of the rooms through a window. I also
looked around the gift shop and the workshop where events and educational
programs are held. Pat, the young lady in charge, asked me to sign the visitors'
book and when I told her I was a Harlow descendant she asked if I could add
the details of my lineage. Luckily, I just happened to have a relationship
chart with me that I had printed out that morning.

The tour started at 2pm and there was only myself and an elderly couple from
Colorado.  Our guide was a gentleman named Ron who was very good. He
demonstrated the steps William Harlow would have taken in constructing a
wooden barrel(my ancestor was a cooper by trade) and then led us into the
common room for a discussion of what life was like for the Harlow family in
the late 1600's. The discussion continued in a third room and I was impressed
with how knowledgeable and enthusiastic Ron was talking about the history
of the house.

I won't go into specifics of Ron's tour; after all, if I did that there'd be no
reason for you to go and hear him yourself, and you really should do it if
you are in the Plymouth area on a Thursday afternoon. But I do want to
paraphrase something Ron said: how many people can say they've stood
on the same floor, in the same house, in the same location(the house has
not been moved) that their ancestors did centuries before?


Thanks to the Plymouth Antiquarian Society and their volunteers, I can say that!

((Admission for adults is $5.00, $2.00 for children. You can read more about the
Harlow House and the two other houses maintained by the Plymouth Antiquarian
Society here at their site.))

"THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH" BY LONGFELLOW

As I've noted many times before here, I've a number of ancestors who
were blacksmiths.The list will probably have more names added later,
but at the moment this is where it stands:

Thomas Chandler (1628-1703) 9x great grandfather
John Prescott (1604-1681) 10x great grandfather
Jonas Prescott (1648-1723) 9x great grandfather
John Ames  (1756-1833) 5x great grandfather
Jonathan Phelps Ames (1781-1861) 4x great grandfather
John Cutter West (1802-1862)3x great grandfather

(And as far as I know, none of them ever made macaroni & cheese or
mistook it for "Liquid go-old".)

So, in honor of my smithy ancestors, here is one of
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's best know poems:

    The Village Blacksmith 

      Under a spreading chestnut-tree
           The village smithy stands;
     The smith, a mighty man is he,
           With large and sinewy hands;
     And the muscles of his brawny arms
           Are strong as iron bands.

     His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
           His face is like the tan;
     His brow is wet with honest sweat,
           He earns whate'er he can,
     And looks the whole world in the face,
           For he owes not any man.

     Week in, week out, from morn till night,
           You can hear his bellows blow;
     You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
           With measured beat and slow,
     Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
           When the evening sun is low.

     And children coming home from school
           Look in at the open door;
     They love to see the flaming forge,
           And hear the bellows roar,
     And catch the burning sparks that fly
           Like chaff from a threshing-floor.


      He goes on Sunday to the church,
                And sits among his boys;
           He hears the parson pray and preach,
                He hears his daughter's voice,
           Singing in the village choir,
                And it makes his heart rejoice.

           It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
                Singing in Paradise!
           He needs must think of her once more,
                How in the grave she lies;
           And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
                A tear out of his eyes.

           Toiling, -- rejoicing -- sorrowing,
                Onward through life he goes;
           Each morning sees some task begin,
                Each evening sees it close;
           Something attempted, something done,
                Has earned a night's repose.

           Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
                For the lesson thou hast taught!
           Thus at the flaming forge of life
                Our fortunes must be wrought;
           Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
                Each burning deed and thought.

ANOTHER TANGLE ON MY TREE

Today I did one of my daily Facebook posts commemorating an anniversary
of a birth, death, or marriage of one of my ancestors. This one happened to
be for 6x great grandfather Moses Coburn's death on 5Jun 1742 in Dracut, Ma.
After I posted it, I went over to Ancestry.com to see if there were any new
hints for documents or records that might have turned up recently for Moses
or any of my other Coburn relations, and once again ran into an unexpected
tangle of my Dad's family lines.

I'd worked my way down to the family of 3x great grandparents Wesley
Coburn and Lucy Stow; I'm descended from their daughter Lucy E Coburn (who
married Nathaniel S Barker, my Dad's ancestor through his mother Cora Barker)
but I don't have have much information on the families of her siblings so I checked
them for hints.

And this is where that tangle I mentioned came in.

I found a marriage record for Lucy's brother Moses Roscoe Coburn and a
Mary S. Reynolds, married on 13Jan 1858 in Albany, Oxford, Me.  That sounded
familiar, but the only Reynolds on my family tree(sort of) was my 2x great
grandfather Jonathan Phelps West's first wife Orpha V. Reyolds who died of
diphtheria in 1861. Could Mary Reynolds somehow be related to Orpha?
Yes she was. She's listed on the 1850 Federal Census along with Orpha and
their parents Simeon and  Ruhama (Ames) Reynolds. Mary S.was Orpha's older
sister by five years.

Back when I did my post about Orpha, I learned from Christopher
Dunham   that Orpha was an Ames cousin . I wondered today about her
Reynolds lineage and after tracing it back discovered her father
Simeon was also my cousin through my Packard line. Orpha is my
4th cousin 3x removed, Simeon my 3rd cousin 4x removed.
 
As I said Orpha died in 1861 and Jonathan Phelps West married my 2x
great grandmother  Louisa Almata Richardson.

But even so, it still boils down to the fact that my 2x great grandfather
was married to my cousin!

"STEAL.TAKE & CARRY AWAY'

As I wrote in the last post, I've been going through the Oxford County
Court records over at FamilySearch.org looking for cases involving
my Dad's ancestors.(Dunhams and Coburns and Wests,oh my!) Most
of what I've found so far has been civil suits involving debts, such
as the one I posted last time about 3x great grandfather John
Cutter West. But yesterday I found a document that was a criminal
case, and it involves one of John's brothers-in-law.   


My 3x great grandmother Arvilla (Ames) West was one of ten children of
Jonathan Phelps Ames and Polly Griffeth. In 1823 her oldest brother,
15 year old brother Jonathan Phelps Ames Jr ran afoul of the law: 

August Term 1823
Criminal 2
State v Jon. P.Ames Jr

The Jurors for the State aforesaid, upon their oath present, that Jonathan
P. Ames Jr of Livermore in said County of Oxford, laborer, on the second
day of July now last past about the hour of eleven, in the night time of the
same day, with force & arms, at Livermore aforesaid, in the county aforesaid,
the shop of William H. Brinton, there situate, did enter with intent the goods
& chattels of the said  Brinton in the said shop then & there being, feloniously
to steal, take & carry away, and then & there  two dollars in silver change, in
quarters, tenths,  eighths & sixteenths of a dollar of the value of two dollars,
the goods, chattels property, and money of the said Brinton in the same shop
then & there being found, with force & arms, feloniously  steal, take and
carry away against the, law peace & dignity of said state & against the form
of the statute in such case made & provided. And now the said Jonathan P.
Ames Junr. is set to to the bar & has this indictment read to him & is asked
thereof if he is guilty or not guilty, who thereupon for plea says he is guilty.

Whereupon the court having considered the offence whereof the said
Jonathan P. Ames Jr. stands convict, do order that he be punished by
solitary imprisonment for the term of ten days & by confinement afterwards
to hard labor for the term of six months, and that this sentence be executed
upon him withing the Gaol of the County of Oxford.

Sentenced the third day of the term being the 28th day of August A.D.
1823

I don't know how long it took for it to happen but apparently young Jonathan
Phelps Ames straightened his life out and married Rebecca Hutchinson in 1834
in Hartford Maine. Sometime afterwards they moved out to Isabel, Fulton,
Illinois and raised their family,including two sons named Atwood and Americus
after two of Jonathan's brothers.

The name Jonathan Phelps was passed on in the West family. My 2x times great
grandfather was named Jonathan Phelps West after Arvilla (Ames) West father.
When my great grandfather was born, he was given the name Philip Jonathan
West in honor of his maternal grandfather Philip Richardson and Jonathan after his
father. PJ died in 1954, and when my younger brother was born ten years later, he
was named Philip Jonathan after our great grandfather.

And he named his eldest son Philip Jonathan as well.

ADAMS Et Al. V West

Recently FamilySearch.org has been posting online  the Maine State
Archives Collections 1790-1966, including the  Court Records. So I
began searching them for any cases that might involve my ancestors,
which is how I found the following case involving my 3x great grandfather
John Cutter West:

Adams et al v West No.604

John M. Adams  George F .Shepley  and Asa W. F. Clap all of Portland in the
County of Cumberland gentleman doing business at said under the firm name
and style of Proprietors Eastern Argus Plaintiffs v. John West of Upton in the
County of Oxford Yeoman Defendant-In a plea of the case for that the said
Defendant at Letter B to wit at said Paris on the day of the purchase of this
writ being indebted to the Plantiffs in  the sum of Ten dollars and Sixty
three cents according to the account annexed in consideration thereof
there and then promised the Plaintiffs to pay them that sum on demand.~

And also for that the said Defendant at Letter B to wit at said Paris on the
twenty-seventh day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight-
hundred and fifty-seven by his promisery note of that date by him signed
for value received promised one John Appleton & Co. to pay them or bearer
the sum of Twenty-four dollars  on demand and interest, and the said John
Appleton and Company thereafterwards on the same day transferred and
delivered the said note then and still unpaid to the Plaintiff who thereby
became the lawful bearer thereof; by reason whereof the Defendant
became liable, and in consideration thereof, then and there, promised
the Plaintiff to pay him the contents of the said note according to the terms
thereof~

Yet the said Defendant, though requested, has not paid the same, but
neglects so to do, to the damage of the said Plaintiffs (as they say) the
sum of Seventy-five dollars. This action was entered at the present term
when the Plaintiffs appeared but the Defendant though called to come
into Court,does not appear, but makes default.

It is therefore considered by the court that the said Plaintiffs recover
against the said Defendant the sum of Forty-one dollars and eleven cents
debt or damage, and costs of suit, taxed at Ten dollars and Eighty-one
cents.

Execution issued, November 27, 1861~
Supreme Judicial Court records vol 09 Nov 1861-Nov 1862


So apparently my ancestor John Cutter West initially borrowed  $10.63
from John Appleton and agreed to pay him back $24 which seems steep
interest. Then Appleton sold my ancestor's  promisory note to the Eastern
Argus Company. (which seems sort of shady to me.) This took place on
May 27th, 1857 and the debt remained unpaid  by November of 1861
when the owners of the Eastern Argus Company brought the debt to
court. John West didn't appear to answer the suit against him so he lost
by default.

The Court Records aren't indexed yet so I browsed through Vol9 until
I found this and as I did I saw case after similar case. They were
so common that they are recorded on a form, the top being blank
where the particulars of the case are written and the judgement written
in the blanks of the preprinted section on the bottom.(I've used my
usual boldface font to denote the preprinted part.)

Oxford County Maine is in the western part of the state and the primary
industries there in the nineteenth century were farming and logging.
It was not uncommon in those days for farmers to borrow money to
buy seed or equipment and pay the money back after harvesting their
crops. But if the weather was bad or some other disaster befell them
they might not be able to pay off the debt right away. I believe that
must have been the case with my ancestor.

I don't know when or if John Cutter West paid off the note.The court
decision was handed down in November of 1861. Shortly after that
a diphtheria epidemic broke out and John would lose three children,
three grandchildren, and a daughter-in-law to the disease by the end
of February 1862. John himself died the following June.. If John
didn't pay off the debt himself, then my 2x great grandfather
Jonathan Phelps West probably did.

So the next time you are worrying abut how you are going to pay the
bills, look at it as something you probably have in common with your
ancestors.

THE 1940 U.S. CENSUS: THE WHITES2

In a previous post about finding my White family members in the 1940
census I told about finding my great grandmother Pauline (Offinger) White
living in the Mattapan section of Boston with the family of  my grandaunt
Elizabeth(White)Biaggi. I still haven't found my grandfather Edward F White
Sr on the 1940 Census, but I did find another one of his siblings, his older
brother Charles.

Charles William White was born 5Mar 1898.  He was living at home with his
parents and siblings up to the 1920 Census, but by 1930 he was married to
Katherine Goonan with two daughters, Virginia age 6 and Muriel age 4.
The family was living on Brookdale St not far away from his parents home
on Florence St., and working as a clerk at the railroad. He'd been employed
there since at least 1918 when he'd listed his job on the WWI draft registration
as clerk for the Boston Albany R.R. at South Station in Boston.

Being a railroad clerk seemed to have been a good job in the Great Depression
because from what I can tell from the 1940 Census great uncle Charles was
doing quite well by then. He was now a rate clerk for the railroad which meant
he was a 20+ year employee and the relatively young age of 42. He was making
$1750 a year which probably helped him purchase the home he now owned on
Brookdale St which was valued at $2000.The family had also grown by another
two children, a daughter Frances born in 1932 and son Charles Jr born in 1934.
Brother-in-law Patrick Goonan was also living with Charles and Kathryn, working
as a helper on a coal truck. So Charles had weathered the Depression in pretty
good shape for someone with only an eighth grade education.

I'm hoping to find entries on the 1940 Census for my grandfather's other
siblings, and when I do I'll post them here.

THE SECOND AMERICAN CIVIL WAR GENEALOGY BLOG CHALLENGE

Last year marked the 150 anniversary of the start of the American Civil War,
and to honor the occasion I held "The American Civil War Genealogy Blog
Challenge." At that time I intended to issue the challenge every April until
2015 since the Civil War lasted five years (1861-1865).  Then I realized that
this year the 1940 Federal Census was going to be released in April and
a lot of people, including myself, would be busy  indexing. I decided to
delay the announcement of the second installment of the Challenge.  But
we're nearing the end of the second month since the Census release, the
indexing is speeding along, and I've decided this is as good a time as any.

So.....

Did you have ancestors in America during the Civil War? If so, where were
they and what were their circumstances? How did the Civil War affect them
and their family? Did the men enlist and did they perish in battle or die of
illness? On which side did they fight, or did you have relatives fighting on
BOTH sides? How did the women left at home cope, or did any of them find
ways to help the war effort? Were your ancestors living as slaves on Southern
plantations and if so when were they freed, or were they freemen who
enlisted to fight? Did any ancestor take part in a battle that took place in
1862? 

Write a blogpost on these questions, or, if you think of another topic to do
with your family history and the Civil War, write about that. Send me the link
after you publish it on your blog by August, and on August 8th I'll publish all
the links here.

That gives everyone most of the summer to research and write(or maybe visit
a Civil War location connected somehow to the family). Have fun with it and
I look forward to reading what everyone writes! 

THE CANCELLATION OF "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

I'd been watching the declining ratings of Who Do You Think You Are? this
season with growing concern. I knew they were putting the future of the
series in doubt but I hoped that NBC would still renew it as a commitment
to better programming on their part. So I was dismayed to learn last
night that the network had cancelled it for the upcoming 2012-2o013.

Several opinions were offered as to why WDYTYA had not been renewed.
one was that the program failed to appeal to the coveted 18-49 years old
demographic. But if you look at the weekly ratings, it's CBS' shows'
that dominate the Top 20 and their demographics are considerably older.
If the 18-49's are more valued, why are ads on the CBS shows more
expensive and the network's income up?

Another theory is one that's been heard before, that perhaps the show
would do better if it had dealt with normal every day people instead of
celebrities. I don't know if the producers have that option. Remember,
it's based on the original BBC show and everyone of the other eleven
international versions(including NBC's) followed the same format as
the mother series, much in the same way programs such as "The Voice:
and "America's Got Talent" follow the same format as the original
British programs. I doubt that f they were allowed to change
who the show spotlighted that the show would have even lasted
a single season if it aired at all. Networks tend to like star power.

  Anyway, I emailed NBC to protest the cancellation.


"Dear NBC,
I am greatly disappointed in your decision to cancel Who Do You Think 
You Are? At a time when there are so many ridiculous so-called "reality 
shows",  you've chosen to drop the one show on your schedule that is 
not only educational but inspiring as well. The fact that such a quality 
program is to be replaced by the likes of Howie Mandel's "White Elephant" 
is especially disheartening.


There was a time when NBC was known for the quality of its prime time 
lineup. I'd hoped that "Who Do You Think You Are?" signaled a return to 
those days. Please reconsider this terrible decision and renew the program. 
If you do,  it would answer a question I now have about your network:


Who Do You Think Your Are, NBC: a quality network, or one now 
dedicated to  shows aimed at the lowest form of entertainment?


Bill West "

If you want to send your own comments to NBC about this, go to
http://www.nbc.com/contact/general/  . Be sure to select "Who Do
You Think You Are?" from the "Select Show" box in the middle of the
screen. Share that link with your friends who like the show as well
and encourage them to let NBC hear their opinion. It's a long
shot but maybe we can get them to bring it back.

Friday night for the past few years has been "Genealogy Night" for
many of us. I'm going to miss it.

THE SECOND NEW ENGLAND GENEABLOGGER BASH

I missed the first New England Geneablogger Bash last fall but thanks to
Erica and Mike Voolich I was able to ride down with them to the second
Bash.  This one was being hosted by Sara Campbell at her cottage in Eastham
on Cape Cod here in Massachusetts.

The day got off to a hectic start for me because of an alarm clock malfunction.
I'd set the alarm for 8am but I didn't wake up until 9:15 because the alarm
never went off.( Apparently there was a power outage sometime overnight
and I didn't have a fresh battery backup in the clock.). So I spent a half hour
rushing around getting washed and dressed and I was ready when Erica and
Mike arrived. The trip down was pleasant even with the hour long traffic
backup at the Sagamore Bridge.

It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky and when we arrived
the other geneabloggers were already enjoying the sun and view of the
ocean from Sara's deck. 

I'd been wound up for a few days over meeting people whose blogs and research
I'd admired for several years now, but everyone was so nice I was able to relax
and enjoy the conversation.  I got to meet Heather Wilkinson Rojo, Midge Frazel,
Mike Maglio, Russ Worthington, Tim Firkowski, Elizabeth Pyle Handler,
Diane MacLean Boumenot, Erica Voolich and Sara Campbell and their significant
others ! Everyone had brought along some food for the meal and there was all
sorts of genealogy stories and information traded back and forth all day. 

Russ Worthington & Tim Firkowski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midge & Steve Frazel

 

Mike Maglio

Patti Worthington & Heather Wilkerson Rojo

Tim Firkowski & Diane MacLean Boumenot

 

Sara Campbell & Elizabeth Pyle Handler

Elizabeth, Patti, and Erica Voolich

We even had an uninvited guest, a tenacious bee that hovered in place many times
over us, so Tim and I started taking pictures of it with our cameras:

We hadn't taken a group photo earlier so Midge and Mike had already left before
we did:

 
Finally it was time to say goodbye and head home. Mike and Erica took me to
a nearby place they knew about for a fish and chips dinner, and then we headed
back up Rte 6. There was another delay at the Sagamore Bridge but eventually
we made it off the Cape and I was home by around 9:30pm.

It was a great day and I want to thank Mike and Erica for letting me ride along
with them, and Sara for her hospitality. And thanks to all for making me feel
at ease.

I hope to see you all again at the next Bash!     

HUNTING ANCESTORS ALONG ROUTE 58

I'm really lucky: I have ancestors buried in cemeteries nearby here in
Plymouth County, Ma. Not only that, many of the cemeteries are beautiful
and I've gotten some great photographs. This past two weeks I've visited
eight local burial grounds; five of them were located on Rte58 in the
towns of Plympton and Carver. I was hoping to locate members of my
Dunham, Ellis, Griffith and Barrows families.

The first place I visited was Hillcrest Cemetery in Plympton:

Hillcrest Cemetery looking across Rte 58 to the First Congregational Church.

 

 

 

According to Find A Grave there are two Barrows buried there but I only found one,
George Barrows, died 31Dec 1862:

 Next I went across the street to the cemetery behind the First Congregational
Church where I found only one monument with a group of possible Ellis relatives
 listed on it:

The next day I drove back further down Rte 58 to the next town, Carver, and the
Lakenham Cemetery where I had my first big discovery of the week, the markers
for my 6x great grandparents George Barrows and Patience Simmons Barrows:

Patience Simmons Barrow 1676-1723

George Barrows 1670-1758

At the Center Cemetery there were several Barrows graves right by the entrance,
including this one:

Capt. Lothrop Barrows

The Union Cemetery in Carver was the highpoint of my explorations along Rte 58.
I found quite a few cousins interred there, and the cemetery is one of the prettiest
I've ever visited:

There are three family plots enclosed with wrought iron fences next to that
white wooden gazebo, and in one I found the headstone for my 6x great
grandparents Ephraim Griffith and Mary Ellis:

So it was a very productive week and I still have  many other cemeteries in the
area I've yet to visit!

HAPPY 344TH ANNIVERSARY JAMES KEITH AND SUSANNA EDSON

 
Today is the 344th anniversary of my 8x great grandparents Rev,
James Keith and  Susanna Edson  of West Bridgewater, Ma.  I
decided to celebrate by finally tracking down the location of
their tomb. Imagine how chagrined I was to find I'd visited the
Old Burying Ground in West Bridgewater last year and hadn't
found it there back then!  So I was bound and determined to
locate it today.

When I arrived at the cemetery on South St there was some
roadwork being done and I had to drive past it, then turn
around and drive back to find a safe parking spot on that side
of the street. Then I walked back to where there was an entrance
through the stone wall. From pictures I'd seen online I thought
the grave would be a large vault which is probably why I
missed it on my first visit.(That, and the fact that there is no
sign with the name "Old Burial Ground"  there which on my
first visit made me think I had gone to the wrong location. Duh!)
Since then I've seen many family tombs which are under small
mounds so I knew better what to look for this time around.
 
And there it was, at the front of the cemetery behind the stone
wall, right next to the street. I'd have seen it earlier if the
view hadn't been blocked by the construction truck.

The inscriptions read:



Here lies the                                          Here lies the
body of the Rev.                                     body of Mrs          
Mr. James Keith                                    Susanna Keith
Died July 23, 1719                               Died Oct. 16 1705
Aged 76 years                                        Aged 65 years

                                  Mr. James Keith  
                       First Minister in Bridgewater
                    Educated in Aberdeen Scotland
                   and laboured in the Ministry in this
                                       town 56 years

Just to the left of the Keiths' tomb is the one belonging to Susanna's
parents(and my 9xgreat grandparents) Samuel Edson and  Susannah
Orcutt(?).

So, mission accomplished!
Happy Anniversary, James and Susanna!

I know I wouldn't be here without you!